Your Broken Smile
by vanillatwilight089
Summary: After 10 years of being apart, Riku's chilhood best friend Sora suddenly shows up at Riku's house, asking for a place to live after being kicked out by his mom. When a boyfriend named "Axel" seems to be having a bad effect on Sora's life... What sorts of secrets does Riku find behind his friend's broken smile? AU; SoRiku; rated M, so anticipate a lemon way later and stuff. -w-
1. Chap 1: Visits

_**AN: **_**Whoa. I'm actually not dead! When I moved into my house, I had to wait like a month to get Internet. So... I just got the Interwebz last night and I was up till two finishing this. I had to use my horrible mobile YouTube and such up till now. I no longer feel like a caveman!**

**Well, this one's going to be a lot longer than Imaginary Place, I promise. :3 And heavier, more emotional if you will. Enjoy~**

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**Chapter 1: Visits**

Is it unusual to miss someone so much it hurts? I have, for ten years.

A best friend. He moved away ten years ago because his parents got a job opportunity somewhere else. And of course, as it always happens, we lost touch over time.

"I promise I'll come find you again when we're adults, Sora, no matter what it takes," I'd promised him just before he left. Yeah, well, I couldn't afford that now even if I wanted to. Plus, I don't even know where he is or his phone number or anything necessary to get in contact with him.

Being eleven, I cried for the first week or two after he was gone, part out of loneliness, part out of missing him and his company. We pinky-swore that we would see each other again when we got older. Man, I wish we would've kept that promise. I wonder often, what happened? Why did we fall away from each other like that even though we had ways to talk? My mom always said it was because friendships that aren't meant to last, just… don't.

I live all alone now, though. My mom left me, too, when I turned fifteen. Car accident.

But, I digress. I'm not really one to complain, despite the fact that the best friend I've ever had left me, my mom died, and I had a defective father who left us all behind so long ago I can't even remember.

Now, it's just boring life in a rundown house that belonged to my parents and a cubicle job for me. Thinking about Sora every now and again. Ordering in Asian food or pizza and beer every night. Trying to keep up a decent living.

I closed my laptop in my workspace with a long yawn, grateful that the day was finally over and I had a weekend to look forward to. "Ah, thank God for Fridays," I muttered, gathering my briefcase up and slamming the front door of the office carelessly behind me. I was the last person to leave; I had an important draft that was supposed to get finished, otherwise my boss, Xemnas, would have probably fired me. But I had it done by eight-thirty and I was thankful to get to go home and sleep. And eat.

A sigh left my lips as I walked slowly down the busy street towards my house, adjusting my scarf closer around my face to protect myself from the dropping temperature and glancing at the darkening lilac sky.

The city looked really pretty in the evenings, with the peach and lavender skies casting shadows on everything, and all of the little street-side vendors selling flowers and coffee and the like. And all of the people walking the sidewalks. Some of them were like me, looking bored and exhausted and just happy to be able to go home after a long day of working. And the couples, walking hand-in-hand and laughing. I didn't blame them for wanting to walk there, it looked very romantic, after all.

I always figured I just wasn't the relationship type. Anytime I'd ever dated a girl… I mean, it was nice, but it wasn't as satisfying and wonderful as people make love sound. So, I reckoned I was better off alone. I was happier like that, anyway.

By the time I turned onto the tiny, rough-looking street that led to my house, the sky was dark and it was getting hard to see. I made it, though, and the very first thing I did was flop face-first into my sofa with a tired and grateful sigh.

Reaching for my cell phone, I decided it was dinnertime. I shuffled into the kitchen to grab a beer from the refrigerator and then retreated back to the couch and waited for the Chinese food restaurant to pick up.

And after struggling to understand what the person at the restaurant was actually saying on the other line (mostly due to his heavy accent and lack of proper English grammar), I finally got the chance to put in my order.

"Um, one-" I was cut short by the doorbell ringing sharply from the front of the house. I reluctantly picked myself off of the sofa and started towards it. "Hang on a second," I muttered to the Chinese guy and he said something else I couldn't comprehend before I held the phone away from my ear to open the door.

I blinked a few times at the figure in my doorway. He looked… too familiar. That brown spiked hair, big blue eyes, and that retarded looking grin. I ended the call on my phone, even though I hadn't ordered any food, standing in shock.

"Riku," he started, a smile crawling onto his face, "It's you, right?"

Too surprised to say anything, I opened the front door wider, inviting him in. Sora was here. In my house, after ten years.

"Well, hi," he said, still grinning with a little wave of his hand. "Sora?" I managed and he nodded with a giggle at how absolutely shocked I was. Then his facial expression changed to a more serious and hesitant look.

"Riku, uhm," he started, rather reluctantly, before fidgeting a little.

"Wh-What?" I prodded, completely wondering why he suddenly showed up at my door out of the blue ten years later.

"I have a favor to ask… Can I- Can I stay with you? Like, live with you? Just for a little while?"

_Holy. Shit. Sora just asked to live with me? Well… Who am I to refuse?_

"Yeah, okay," I nodded, trying to hold back a huge, ecstatic grin. He looked excited and hugged me and thanked me extensively.

"Oh, Riku, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he nearly shouted before pulling away and grinning.

I motioned him over to join me on the couch before sighing. "I have so many questions," I began, smiling at him a little.

He followed me over and sat down before nodding enthusiastically. "Me too!" He grinned. "Well, you first," he added.

"Where were you all these years?" I figured that was a good start.

"Uhm, a few hours away from here, I believe," he said thoughtfully.

With a nod, I continued. I was about to ask how he'd found me after all of these years, but then it came to me that I'd been living in the same house all of my life and he knew where it was.

"Why'd you come here all of a sudden?"

"Well… my- my mom kicked me out and… other reasons." He swallowed loudly and his eyes shifted down to the carpet on the floor.

_Other reasons? _I wondered, on the verge of asking, but I didn't want to pry.

"How's your mom?" he asked, conspicuously changing the subject.

It was my turn to be uncomfortable. "She's dead."

Sora's eyes grew huge and he looked surprised, like that was the last thing he'd expected me to say.

"She… what? Riku, I'm so sorry, w-what happened?" he asked timidly, not wanting to prod too far, but obviously curious.

I shrugged lightly. "Car accident, about six years ago."

"Wow." He shook his head. "I wouldn't have ever expected…"

"Me neither," I said, frankly not wanting to reflect on the subject any longer.

I glanced over to Sora, who was stretching against the sofa and yawning dramatically, much like a feline.

"I've missed you, Riku."

I chuckled. "Me too, Sor. I can't wait to catch up again."

"Yeah," he sighed, looking pretty tired, and so was I.

"Are you… ready to go to bed soon?" I asked, not sure how long he was planning on staying up.

He nodded. "I think so," he tried to say while yawning at the same time.

Thankfully, I had a bed in another bedroom for the guests I never had. I led him to it and grinned when he walked inside.

"Smells like you," he commented, walking in and sitting down on the bed. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? What do I smell like?"

He laughed before shrugging and laying back. "I dunno, like Riku."I shook my head with a smile, feeling so glad that Sora was finally back.

"I've really missed you," I mumbled, watching Sora as he made something like a snow angel in the bed sheets.

Sora's head popped up and he was grinning widely. "I'm happy to be here."

Nodding in agreement, I sighed. "The bathroom's right behind that door there," I said, pointing to a door on the far side of the bedroom, "Help yourself, I think everything you would need should be in there… If you need anything, just let me know."

He stood up and walked over to examine the small guest bathroom. "Thanks, Riku," he said and I nodded gently.

"Of course, Sor."

Sora yawned and I did the same right after. "Well, I'm going to go to bed now, and you should, too. Night."

He waved and went back over to sit on the bed. "Oh, wait," he said suddenly, "I need to get my bag with all of my clothes and stuff. I left it at the front door."I waited for him as he went to get his bag. When he came back, he set the bag down and pulled pajamas out of it and smiled at me. "Good night, Riku," he bid and I nodded.

"Sleep well," I finished our conversation before walking back to my own bedroom and laying down in bed, not even bothering to change out of my daily clothes. I thought about all of Sora's and my old memories of childhood, and hoped that we were still going to be as good friends as we were in the past.

Eventually, despite my buzzing head, I fell to sleep and didn't wake up till late the next morning.

I stalked slowly into the kitchen, still half-asleep and eager to make my morning coffee to wake up.

Before even entering the kitchen, I could see Sora there, sitting on the counter, and it looked like he was on the phone. I shrank back so Sora couldn't see me. Thankfully, there was a wall between us, so he couldn't see me, but I could hear him.

"A-Axel, I know, I- I'm sorry! What else was I supposed to do? Yeah, sure, you can come over…It's a really long drive though… That's fine… Ah, I didn't mean to- Yes, I hear you, Axel; okay, b-bye," he said to the person on the other line, sounding half in sobs.

He hung up then, and I rounded the corner into the kitchen and Sora, startled by my sudden appearance, made haste with rubbing tears from both eyes so I couldn't see he'd been crying.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, not wanting to sound like I'd eavesdropped on his phone conversation, but I was worried; whoever this "Axel" was, he didn't really sound too nice.

"Yeah," he barely whispered, "Everything's okay."

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**First chapter, finito. Boo-yah. Reviews would make me so happy! ;u; **

**Love! 3**


	2. Chap 2: Everything's Okay

****_**AN:**_ **Hey, guysssss:D Next chapter! It really took me forever, haha. Sowwy. =_=|| But, wait, what's this? Ooh, okay, let's start off the chapter with a confession. *maniacal laughter* **

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**Chapter 2: Everything's Okay**

Sora didn't seem very talkative after that phone call.

I made breakfast, and we both sat down at my tiny table to eat. I watched Sora, poking around on his plate with the fork he had, his chin in his hand before he heaved a huge sigh.

"Riku?" he began, sapphire eyes on me, "Um… My boyfriend… He, um, he wanted to come see where I am… Is that okay? If he comes over for a sec?"

My eyes blinked several times and I nodded slowly. _Boyfriend?_ I wondered silently, _Sora's-_

He cut off my train of thought with a nearly inaudible chuckle. "I hope that wasn't awkward… But, yeah, I'm, I'm gay."

The eggs and bacon in my stomach seemed suddenly to start arguing… over which could make me vomit first.

Did it bother me? That Sora was interested in men? Why was I feeling nauseous about it?

"Sure, it's not awkward," I lied with a smile.

"Thanks," he replied before actually taking a bite of something for the first time in the morning.

We finished up eating (I was grateful that Sora actually ate something… I had begun to think my cooking was really awful.) and ended up sitting in silence at the table for a few minutes. "What time is he coming over?" I asked him.

He reached for his glass of orange juice and took a long sip before speaking. "Mm, he said after five, when he gets off work. I gave him the address and stuff, so… Yeah."

I nodded and he started another conversation. "How about you? Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked, the slightest teasing look in his eyes.

Rolling my eyes, I replied. "No. Haven't been in a relationship in forever." I took advantage of the subject at hand to figure more out about him and Axel. "How long have you two been together?" I asked and his eyes trailed down to the table.

"Umm… About a year and half, I think? Yeah… That sounds right. It feels like it's been longer than that…"

"Really?" I inquired, "Why, I wonder?"

He looked up at me then, and I knew there was something different about my friend. Some part of him changed when one of us mentioned Axel. He looked at me and his eyes looked cloudy, like he was a bit distant and not fully listening.

"I-I don't know," he said, "I don't know."

I watched him, his eyes tracing a path down, seeming to avert gazing at anything but his hands in his lap. "Sora?"

He gave me another one of those blank glances, seeming like he was almost hesitant to look at me. "Huh?"

"Do you want to go for a walk or something? After that heavy breakfast?" I smiled at him, attempting to warm up his facial expression, but he stared expressionless and still before nodding.

"Yeah, I think that sounds good."

We cleaned up the dishes and things in the kitchen and headed out the door after that to walk around the city.

The air was still fresh with morning and not many people were out on the streets yet. "Aren't you cold, Sora?" I asked, glancing at him; he was clothed with a t-shirt alone, "I'm freezing and I'm wearing a coat and scarf and everything."

He shrugged. "I'm fine, thanks for asking, though."

I looked at him further after that, and I started to notice several purple spots blemishing his tanned skin. Bruises. They looked like fingerprints… Four livid marks on his upper arm.

"S-Sora?" I asked his name once more. "Your arms… What happened?"

He glanced down at himself as if to figure out what I was referring to, before an almost frantic look crossed his face for a split second. "A-Ah, I forgot to wear a long sleeved shirt…" he said to himself. "These?" he continued, "Oh… Oh, that's really nothing. You know, those bruises that you don't even remember getting." It was totally in my advantage that Sora was a horrible liar. I gave that I-really-don't-believe-you look, and he grew panicky again. "What's with that face?! I seriously don't know where these bruises came from, Riku; you know how clumsy I am!"

I tried to make my tone of voice as serious yet as gentle as possible. "So, you just randomly get fingerprints bruised onto your arms now?" He looked at the ground again and I could tell that he knew I didn't believe him.

"Sora?" I continued in a soft tone, "Does this have to do with Axel?" That was a bit of a straightforward question, but I was worried about Sora and I had a bit of a premonition that it did have some connection to his seemingly rather rough boyfriend.

"Please don't bring it up… when he's over." He stared raptly at the concrete.

"I won't, Sora." I patted his back for a moment before he looked up at me with a smile.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome." I wondered what Sora did to earn the bruises. And I wondered why I wasn't asking more questions about their relationship.

_Guess I don't want to make him uncomfortable._

He and I continued our walk for a little while longer and got ice cream from a vendor, which seemed to cheer him up a little.

Upon finishing, we headed home, and it was well into the afternoon by that time.

"Whoo," Sora looked at the clock on the wall when we walked into my front door, "we walked that long?"

I nodded. "Guess so. You know what they say; time flies."

He agreed before his cell phone started playing a lively jingle, alerting that Sora was getting a call. Looking at the screen, he blinked and a discontent look tormented his features. "It's…"

Sora didn't finish telling me who was calling before he picked up. "Hey, Axe," he started in his timid voice.

The voice on the other line was almost loud enough for me to understand what was being said. Might I add, I was standing on the opposite end of the kitchen.

"You went where? Axel, I can't understand you… Were you… Did you drink?"

The voice grew louder and Sora flinched lightly. "You have been drinking? Again? Are you sure it's safe to drive? I don't want anything to happen to you-"

"It's FINE!" I heard Axel snap on the other line. What I'd collected from their conversation so far was that: a; Sora was worried about Axel's safety, b; Axel didn't seem to give a damn about that, c; Axel was drunk, and d; Axel was not a happy drunk.

"Alright," Sora whispered a response, "S-sorry. Then… I'll see you soon?"

Axel said something back before hanging up.

"He's coming over now." Sora glanced up at me, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Maybe we should clean up, then?" I suggested.

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't think he'll be here long. He just wants to see where I'm staying."

"Ah," I nodded lightly, "Can't wait to meet him."

Without a response, Sora sat down at one of the kitchen chairs and laid his head down on the table with a sigh. "Sorry if I'm a bother," I heard him mumble.

"Why would you be a bother?"

He glanced up with his big sea blue eyes. "I don't know. You're probably used to living alone in quiet, and now you've got to deal with me and my boyfriend here."

"Oh, please!" I remarked, sitting down next to him and putting a hand on his back. "You're not bothering me at all. I would definitely let you know if you were." I smiled at him. His looked back up at me, his eyes half covered by his thick brown hair.

"Mmkay," he said, a slight reassurance in his voice.

We waited for a long while, sitting there at the kitchen table, saying something to one another on occasion.

A sharp ring of the doorbell startled us both. "I'm guessing that'll be Axel?" I asked before standing up to go answer the door.

Sora stayed in his spot and his head was still down on the table when I looked back at him.

Opening the door, I looked out into the twilight sky and the tall form that greeted my gaze.

"Hi," said Axel's voice shortly. He was almost taller than me and his wild crimson hair spiked out behind his face like flames.

"Hey," I responded, feeling almost intimidated by his facial expression, his bright green eyes seeming furious with me for an unknown reason.

"Come on in," I faltered, granting him space to walk in.

"Where can I put my jacket," he said as more of a statement than a question, shrugging out of the garment.

I stood silently for less than a moment, feeling a little bit like an idiot for not answering him immediately. "Er, anywhere," I said.

He threw the jacket down on my couch and immediately started speaking again. "Where's Sora?" His tone was possessive, almost angry.

"He was in the kitchen last I saw him," I answered. Axel immediately strode over into the kitchen with me following, and sure enough, Sora was still in the exact same position he'd been before Axel had arrived.

"Sora," he muttered and the little brunette's head instantly snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice of his lover.

"Hi, Axel," he said, smiling as much as he could before standing up.

The redhead ignored Sora's greeting. "Come outside. I have to talk to you."

And then he spun around and walked back towards the front door, not even waiting for an answer from his boyfriend.

When Axel walked past me again, the smell of alcohol seemed to draft from his figure. Sora was right; he certainly had been drinking.

Sora followed, head down, face hidden. I wanted to poke him or tickle him or something to try cheering him up, but I figured that wasn't really the time.

He looked back at me when he closed the door, and I smiled at him, but he didn't return the gesture.

_Well, _I thought, _now I have to wait for those two. I wonder what they're talking about. _

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***gasp* Hmm, what are they talking about? XD Poor little Sora. Getting his personality butchered completely by my OOC impulsiveness! Lawl. Soooo, review? Sank youuu! **

**Love~**


	3. Chap 3: Of Pain

****_**AN:** _**Heya, guys... **

**New chapter for the people! Sorry for being so mofo-ing inactive... I'm sick as a dog, once again, having lost the capability to talk. Yay!**

**Anyway, merry Christmas!**

**May yo' holidays be filled with Christmas swagger n' allll dat. **

**Yup. :D**

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**Chapter 3: Of Pain**

The hairs on my neck raised as I listened to their conversation.

"Axe? What's the matt- Ah!" A little pained noise left Sora and I wished I could see what was happening.

"You know _exactly _what's the matter," Axel snarled before Sora murmured something that sounded like, "Please let go of me."

"Do you really wanna know what's the matter? Huh?!" Axel continued, the volume and rage in his voice rising with every word. Sora whimpered and Axel seemed to take some sort of great pleasure in this.

"Just suddenly coming out here to stay with some guy, leaving me conveniently far away from you? Could you be any more obvious, you cheating little slut?! Huh?!"

Sora was starting to cry by now, sobs that made my heart wrench and want to calm his tears.

"You don't get it, Axel!" he wailed, gasping between almost every word.

"Oh, don't I?" the loud voice threatened.

A stifled little weep caught in Sora's throat before he spoke. "He's… Riku's, Riku's my best friend, Axel, it's not like that at all!"

Axel hissed. "I don't quite think I believe you."

_Wait, wait._ Did Axel think that Sora and I… were a couple or something? Oh, god. _Just because we're living together?_

"Ah-hah! Ah-ow, A-Axe, please, stop it, that- that hurts! Axel…!"

Whatever Axel was doing to Sora, the helpless brunette wasn't enjoying it. His cries, getting louder by the second, were growing more agonized and desperate while blood pounded in my ears.

_Should I… do something? Should I go out there and tell Axel to go home? Or just explain that Sora wasn't in any way romantically involved with me?_

I disregarded that thought and convinced myself that this was between them; it wasn't my business what happened.

"You belong to _me_, okay?! You got that memorized, little whore?!"

"Y-Yes!" Sora cried out.

"Now say you're sorry." he commanded to the brunette.

"I'm sorry, Axel," Sora spoke quietly.

"I can't hear you," Axel sneered in response.

"Ah! I'm sorry; I'm sorry!" I heard a relieved gasping sound after that before a silence took its place.

I pressed closer to the window to listen better just in case they were speaking too quietly for me to hear.

The sound of a car door opening broke the silence. "I'm going home. And if I see you so much as lay a hand on that Riku…" I could almost feel the threatening glare that he was surely giving Sora at that moment.

"I promise, Axel, you can trust me. I wouldn't do that to you." Sora sounded timid, obviously trying to avoid angering his obviously drunk boyfriend any further.

"Bye," Axel muttered and I heard his car stir to life.

The hum of the engine grew quieter and eventually faded out to silence.

Wondering if Sora was going to come inside now that Axel had left, I peered out the window.

I saw him out there, sitting on the concrete of my driveway with his face in his hands. Instinctively, I stepped over to the front door, and outside towards the fragile looking brunette. His sniffles were loud, and I doubted he could even hear me approaching.

I dropped to my knees once I was next to him and brought a hand to the side of his head, tussling his hair softly. "Sor?" I asked, leaning over to try and see his face, "You okay? What's- what's wrong?"

Sora started slightly, his body tensing at my touch. He turned his face towards me; his eyes, reddened from tears, were filled by an unexplainable expression. "I'm okay. It's fine. Can we go inside now?" he fidgeted, obviously to cover his arms with his hands from cold. I nodded to him.

I wondered how often he told that lie… _I'm fine._ He wasn't fine. Clearly.

I stood up again, holding a hand out to Sora who grabbed it gratefully. He clutched at my entire arm, leaning himself against me, a small whimpering noise coming from his throat.

"Uh, Sora? Can you walk?" I pried him off of me gently, urging him to walk.

He, of course, didn't say anything, just resorted back to hugging my arm in desperation, and I took that action as a sort of a "No, I can't."

As lightly as possible, I wrapped an arm around his back, underneath his shoulders so he could lean against me more comfortably to get inside.

_This is crazy… I should try to get in touch with Axel or something, and explain to him that this whole thing is no reason to treat Sora like this._

Once I'd successfully brought Sora into the house, I laid him down on the bed and covered his shivering body up with blankets.

"Sora…" I kneeled down next to the bed once I'd finished, reaching a hand out to uncover his face.

He opened his eyes slowly. "He didn't come back, right?"

Assuming he was referring to Axel, I shook my head. "No, Sora, he's gone."

"Good." A grateful sigh escaped his mouth.

"So, uh," I began, aware that this was a bit of an awkward topic, "can you tell me what happened out there? If you don't want to, that's- that's- I understand, but I'm just concerned about you."

He gulped in his throat. "He just made a little, um, fuss about me being here… you know, with you. He just saw it the wrong way."

_Seemed like a pretty big fuss. _

"Did he… do anything? Are you okay?"

I realized how much I needed to stop asking if he was okay. It was a silly question in this situation, much like asking a starving person if they're full.

He rolled over and his back turned to me. "I just want to sleep." He sat up then. "But do you have any razors? I need to… take a shower and stuff."

"There should be one in there, but, um, if there isn't, I've got some."

"Mm, thanks," he replied, standing up and shuffling over to his suitcase stiffly.

I heard him mumble, "Ow," before plunging into a search for some nightclothes in his already messy case.

"Sora, you know that you're welcome to use the closet?" I glanced over to the closed white doors that led to the empty closet.

He didn't respond until he stood up again with a messy pile of unfolded clothes in his hand. "Thanks," he said, walking past me to the bathroom.

"There's a razor in here," he called from behind the bathroom door.

"Alright, good. Good night, Sora," I sighed, walking out of the bedroom, noticing it was past midnight.

_Better take a shower myself. _

I padded over to my own room, my socks sliding against the wooden floor.

My thoughts had been confirmed.

Sora was being abused.

Pretty badly.

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**Ermehgerd! Reviews would be scrumptious :3 **

**Love from vanillatwilight089 ;D**


	4. Chap 4: Kairi?

_**AN: **Hey, party people! New chapter for yer pleasures, mateys! OuO Aarrrgh! Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 4: Kairi?**

"So, I was going to go out for a job interview today… Just the grocery store up the street. Is that, is that okay?" Sora asked me at the breakfast table that morning.

It was a couple of weeks after Axel's appearance, and to my knowledge, he hadn't called or tried in any way to get in touch with Sora since the night he'd come over.

I nodded. "Sounds like fun," I said with a smile, "What time's the interview?"

"12:30. So, that's…" He swiveled around in his chair to look up at the clock. "Holy cow, that's thirty minutes. I should be getting ready."

"I think that's a rather good idea," I chuckled as he rushed up from the table into his bedroom.

"Wait a second," Sora said a while later, scuttling into the kitchen again, now dressed in a t-shirt and a black blazer and pants, "You don't have a car… do you?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "Sure don't. I walk everywhere I need to get to. You know that, Sor."

"Damn it," he muttered, picking up various manila folders that he'd earlier set on the kitchen counter, "I really need to get going then."

He fixed his blazer hastily before looking over to me. "Well, wish me luck, Riku! See you later."

"Bye, Sora; good luck," I called to him before he smiled and shut the door and was gone.

I decided after that to make the most of this Saturday afternoon and tried taking a nap.

I lounged on the couch for a while in the silence of my living room and eventually decided to turn on the TV.

Flipping lazily through the channels, I decided finally to watch a football game, despite the fact that I had no interest in football whatsoever.

Soon after, I dozed off to the sound of various people in the game yelling things about the score and whatnot.

It was, however, short-lived, as I woke up within a few minutes with a new realization.

My doorbell was ringing. Oh, goody. Again.

With a reluctant snort, I parted from my comfortable scarlet colored sofa to answer the door.

I'd half expected to see Sora at the door. I wasn't sure why I thought that, actually; I knew Sora had his own house key and wouldn't need me to open the door for him.

I yawned as I pulled the door open, realizing what an obnoxious mess my long hair had most likely gotten into during my nap, frantically combing it down before I glanced at the visitor.

A redheaded girl in pink shorts and a white tank top stood at the door, glancing up to me with a confused smile.

"Um, can I help you…?" I asked, assuming that she was probably trying to sell me Girl Scout cookies or something.

She glanced around, as if wondering where the hell she actually was before she spoke. "Does, does Sora live here?" she inquired timidly.

I recognized then the fact that I was yawning again and still desperately combing through my hair; my clothing was completely messed up and twisted from sleeping on a couch. I probably looked a bit like a lunatic at the moment.

Adjusting myself, I replied in the most normal voice I could, "Yeah, but he's out at an interview right now."

"Oh," she mumbled, biting her bottom lip and blinking, "Is he, um, is he going to be home soon?"

"Probably, unless he goes somewhere afterward. I could, uh, call him for-"

"No," she interrupted, "I'm his girlfriend; I have his phone number," she said in a suddenly snappy tone.

Wait. What the hell? Girlfriend…? Sora said he was gay- not to mention already in a relationship! Either this girl was delusional, or Sora was a bit of a two-timer.

"Ah, uh, I see. Do you, uh, want to come in until he gets back?" I asked, thinking it would only be proper.

She shook her head. "That's okay. Can you just tell him, when he gets back, that Kairi came by?"

"Sure," I nodded and she smiled, thanking me before walking back down the driveway to her car.

_Kairi. _She seemed familiar, that girl. Had I met her? I tried to think of all of the possible scenarios where I could have met a girl named Kairi.

Then a thought entered my mind. _I think I know._ I swallowed hard, pushing the memories that I wasn't fond of away from my head.

I sat back down on the couch, the football game still on, my head still swirling. I couldn't rid my mind of her familiar red hair, her blue eyes. She didn't seem like the type that'd I would have met back then; that is, if I had met her like I thought I had.

It wasn't long then after that Sora's voice called a loud "Heya, Riku!" and his footsteps sounded into the house.

"Hey, Sor; how'd it go?" I asked, glancing up from the TV to see him give me a thumbs-up and a grin.

"Great!" he exclaimed, "They really needed someone for the position, so guess who got the job?"

He pointed to himself and I gave him a round of applause. He walked over and lounged next to me on the couch.

"Yeah, I start next week. Football?" he observed, looking at the TV.

I shrugged. "I don't really like it; there wasn't anything else to watch."

Sora sighed. "Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"Actually," I said, looking right at him, "Yeah. Your- Your girlfriend came over."

His face turned bright red and his eyes grew. "What?" he whispered.

"A girl named Kairi."

He cleared his throat nervously. "Oh, K-Kairi. Yeah. What did she want?"

"She came over because she wanted to see you, I told her you weren't home, and then she left."

"So," I decided to continue, since Sora didn't say anything, "she is your girlfriend?"

He looked at me and I could tell he wished she hadn't come over. Because… Now I knew. I knew something he didn't want anyone to know.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I guess I should explain a little bit, heh,."

He drew in a long breath before speaking. "Well… Let me start here. My mom doesn't know I'm gay. She's a huge homophobe, and I don't even want to know what would happen if I told her. So, since she was constantly telling me I needed to find someone so I wouldn't spend the rest of my life alone, I met Kairi and we started dating, even though, when I met her, I was already in a relationship with Axel. And…" He sighed. "Yeah."

"That's it?" I urged slightly, "Just 'yeah'?"

So he was a cheater?

"I-I mean…" he faltered. "I like to think that I'm doing it to keep myself safe, more or less. But… I guess you could say I'm a bit loose."

I understood his dilemma. I remembered how strict his mother always was, and it was obvious that she would be the type to freak out about having a gay son. So, he got a girlfriend just to please his mom, but had a boyfriend behind everyone's back. He was damn lucky Axel didn't know about Kairi. He would no doubt never forgive poor Sora for that.

I blinked. "I don't think you're loose, Sora."

He scoffed. "Easy for you to say. It's not like you have to get called a slut all the time."

"He says those things to you… all the time?"

He stood up immediately, ignoring my question. "Well," he said, his tone suddenly a bit happier than before, "do you want to do something?"

I looked at him for a moment, confused. Way to change the subject, there. "Well, I actually did need to grab something from my office to work on here at home. I was going to go get it. You want to come with me?"

The corners of his mouth lifted into a little grin. "Sure," he said.

I didn't bother changing out of the sweatpants and V-neck I'd worn to bed the previous night, and he led the way out the door, glancing back at me with a smile. "You coming, slowpoke?"

I nodded, following him and still wondering how the hell he managed to switch moods so quickly.

Not to mention, I wondered in the back of my head if Kairi was, in fact, the person I thought she was.

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_REVIEW MOFOS OR I'MMA SEND MY CAT OVER TO YOUR HOUSES TO EAT ALL THE FOOD IN YOUR FRIDGES. Just kidding. I won't. :3 Really, though, reviews make give me fulfilled feels~~_

_Love you guys~ _


	5. Chap 5: Secrets

_**AN:** _**Helloooo! This chapter didn't take as long as the others, eh? :D I've had a lot of free time lately. /yawn/ **

**Well, since Valentine's is in a few days, I'm thinking I'll write something... It's probably going to be a big emotional vent. But it'll end up fluffy. Maybe. I've had a lot of weird/emotional/romance-gone-bad shit lately, so... ._. **

**But I digress! Enjoy! :D**

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**Chapter 5: Secret**

It was a random question. "Do you mind if my mom comes over to drop off the rest of my stuff from my old room tonight?" Sora asked out of the blue when we were walking through town one evening.

Glancing down at him, I said, "Wow, sure, that's fine. Haven't seen your mom in forever."

Sora nodded. "She would've had me go pick up the stuff myself. But, you know," he said, "neither of us have a car, so she said she'd bring it here for me."

"That's nice of her."

"Mhm."

We continued walking as the sky started to darken little by little. There was something enchanting about the way that the buttery rays of evening sun stretched over buildings, painting them gold, and the aroma of coffee wafting from the little cafés that lined the street side. I took in all of these things, trying to relax my mind. I knew it was going to be interesting to meet Sora's mother once again. She had always been a nice lady- if one stayed on her good side. I remembered how she used to get mad at Sora's dad for little things, but she was always kind and welcoming to me. They were my second family- partly due to the fact that I didn't have a good relationship with any of my real family and Sora's relatives accepted me as one of their own.

During our childhood, Sora and I were like brothers, only closer than that. We were inseparable, we two.

As my thoughts continued, a certain memory floated into my mind. I couldn't help but to laugh out loud, resulting in Sora looking at me like I was walking around naked in public.

"Remember that one time when we were little," I chuckled, "we took those Crayola markers and colored our entire bodies different colors, and then the marker wouldn't come off no matter how much we tried?"

He laughed a bit as well. "Oh, God, yes. My mom got _so _mad that day."

"Oh, yes, she did. Not at me, though; just at you."

He stuck his tongue out at me.

"And remember that once that you took a sip from the straw in your drink and you almost swallowed a fly that was in it?" he said.

I shuddered. "Blech, don't remind me. Then that time we built that giant fort in your room out of cardboard."

"Yeah! Or when we used to sneak our of my house at sunrise to go play outside when you slept over."

"Mm, those were good days. Goddamn it, I've missed you, Sor."

"I've missed you too, Riku," he almost whispered, giving me a crooked little smile.

We brought up a few more fond memories while we walked back to my house, reminiscing and wishing we had those days back.

I walked into the kitchen, preparing to make dinner. "Hey, Sora," I called to him into his room, "Do you think your mom would stay and eat dinner if I make enough for three?"

Soon after my question, a brunette head poked itself around the corner of his bedroom doorframe. "I have no idea," he replied. "Want me to call her and ask?"

"If you want to. I was just wondering."

He shrugged. "Sure, I will. She probably wants to sit and talk to you too, to see how you are. You know how she gets."

"Cool," I said, pulling random food from the fridge.

The purr of an engine coming into my usually empty driveway distracted me from where I was setting the table. I shuffled over to the window and moved the blinds to look outside.

A brownish red, old looking car was parked in front of house, and I moved quickly back to the table to finish putting the plates of food down and making things look decent; I figured that was Sora's mom in the driveway.

"Sor!" I yelled, "Your mother's here!"

He bounded out of his bedroom to open the door. "Smells great, Riku," he remarked on the way over.

"Thanks," I said, unsure if he even heard me.

"Mom! Hey!" I heard him say before I turned around to see Sora embracing his mother and she hugged him back before she pulled away awkwardly.

He looked puzzled as to why she hadn't hugged him longer, as if he'd forgotten that she'd kicked him out of her house not too long ago.

"Hi, Sora," his mother finally said to him. "Oh goodness, hello, Riku," she called to me and we waved at each other. The whole situation had some sort of a tense feel to it already.

The two of them spoke for a brief moment before I joined them to get Sora's things from her car. It wasn't too much, just a few luggage bags and a box or two, and we got the entirety of it into his room in a short amount of time.

The three of us then sat down at my tiny 4-person dining table, someone occasionally commenting on my wonderful cooking skills, even though I knew my cooking was awful. It lasted for a while until Sora's mother broke the small talk.

"Sora," she said, turning to look at her son, "after we finish eating here, there's something I'd like to ask you in private."Sora blinked and glanced at me. "Mom, whatever you need to say, you can say it in front of Riku."

I coughed a little, feeling a bit uncomfortable and on the spot right then.

"Well," she replied finally, picking up a napkin to dab at her lips in a ladylike manner. "I suppose it could be good for Riku to know this too."

Sora looked thoroughly puzzled as to what on earth his mother could be talking about. "Is, is something the matter, Mom?"

"Sora, when I was putting your things into boxes to bring to you, I came upon something."

"S-Something?" Sora inquired.

Clearing her throat, his mother then reached into her purse she'd set down earlier and pulled out a blue and orange striped notebook.

"Hey," Sora piped, "it's my old journal!" He held out his hands and his mother handed him the book; he flipped through the pages in fascination.

Leaning over to him, Sora's mother reached her hand into the journal and flipped to a page that was dog-eared.

There was a thick, tense silence in the room after that as Sora read down the bookmarked page and his mother watched him. Several times, I had to reconsider getting up and faking having to go to the bathroom or something because I felt like I was in the way of whatever was happening.

"H-How…" Sora started, but his voice trailed off. He started shaking his head gently.

His mother's indifferent, almost stern expression remained untouched as Sora started to go into a minor breakdown over whatever news his mother had just discovered.

They stared at each other, Sora's now teary eyes meeting his mother's seemingly expressionless ones.

"I think you should tell Riku as well, Sora."

The brunette sniffled. "H-He already knows. I told him already."

"I already know what?" I asked, uttering some of my first words since we'd sat down for dinner.

"Sora is," Sora's mom turned to look at me, pausing after her first two words as if preparing herself to say something horrible, "gay."

"This page," she said, pointing down to the open notebook, "is where Sora confessed it to himself."

"He told me that a few weeks ago…"

Her eyes widened some, as if shocked about how calm I was about my best friend's sexuality.

"Mom, please," Sora mumbled from his spot at the table.

Her eyes snapped back to her son. "Please, what?"

In Sora's silence, she found an opportunity to continue speaking. "I can't believe this, Sora."

"My only son is gay. And the fact that you never told me this is worse! We could've helped you with it if you'd have told us soon-"

"I don't need help." Sora's tone was dark, his face buried in both of his hands. "And I never told you because I was scared of what you would say… I know you think gay people are disgusting abominations."

"It is disgusting, Sora! It's not something that you, as a male, are supposed to feel!"

"Why are you telling me what I am or I'm not supposed to feel?" he snapped, picking his face up out of his hands and glaring at his mother.

She stood up suddenly then, the chair grinding loudly against the floor as it was pushed back.

As she was headed for the door, she stopped in the entrance of my kitchen and turned to Sora. "You know, Sora, before you were born, your father and I had trouble deciding over whether we could handle a child."

Sora swallowed hard.

"If I had known that you were going to turn out choosing to be gay, I would've gotten that abortion we were considering right away."

I kept my eyes downcast through this entire show, extremely uncomfortable.

"Mom, p-please don't say that! I-I'm your son!' Sora wailed, shaky hands wiping tears from beneath his eyes.

His mother paused before turning a steely blue-eyed glare into the kitchen. "No you aren't."

The door slammed behind her and everything fell silent afterwards, save for an occasional teary gasp from Sora.

"S-Sor?" I whispered, reaching over to touch his shoulder. He flinched away from my touch before giving a shiver.

"I-I'm going to bed," he muttered, picking himself out of the chair, his face turned to the floor as he shuffled slowly towards his room.

"Sora, please, don't-"

"No," was all he said before he found his way to his bedroom, the door clicking shut behind him.

That had been extremely different than I'd expected it to be. I left Sora alone; I knew the feeling of just wanting to sit by yourself to try and get over something, especially something as awful as your own mother disowning you.

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**I'm already working on the sixth chapter; it shouldn't be way too long till I put it up~**

**Read, review, et cetera! c:**

**PS if you guys want to see a Valentine's fic, maybe give me some requests? That would be delicious~ **

**Thank you! u**


	6. Chapter 6: Just Talk

_**AN: **_**Hey, girls and guys~  
Nothing too exciting in this chapter XD I was going to do somethin' big, but I figured I'll save that for next chapter (which is already just about done. Seriously. I can have it up in a few days, hahah) **

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**Chapter 6: Just Talk**

I turned my phone on as I left the work office that day, and had a sudden idea.

I'd been thinking about Sora's girlfriend Kairi- not in that sense- but I knew that I knew the girl. Pressing a button, I pulled up my contacts list, something I hated to do. Female names beginning with every letter of the alphabet were listed in it: a reminder of my past.

After my mother's death, I went into a severe period of depression. I had a huge void.

I felt lonely. I wanted desperately to have someone, to be with someone; I wanted to fill the space in my soul that my mother left.

Trying to fill my emptiness, I became a big drinker, and more importantly, I engaged in many, many one-night stands.

It lasted a while. I fucked lots of girls, being completely intoxicated most of the time. I hadn't known any of them well at all, and I don't talk to any of them anymore.

After a few moments, I got to the "K" section.

_Kairi. _The first name under that letter.

My stomach back-flipped. I was right about her.

I figured that she didn't seem the type to open her legs to any guy she met, and our fling was probably just the effects of a bad day or something.

The thoughts continued as I walked. Yes, I remembered her exactly.

I neared the house just before the sky got dark and I saw a yellow glow from inside through the front door- an indication that Sora was home.

"Hey, Sor," I called as I opened the door, discarding my scarf and jacket over the back of the sofa once I was inside. "Oh, hey, Riku," Sora said calmly. He was stepping out of the laundry room with a pile of folded clothes in his arms.

He carried the clothing into his bedroom before stepping back out and seating himself on the sofa, looking bored.

"It's warmer than usual out tonight," I said nonchalantly.

Sora snickered. "Is that why you wore a coat and scarf?"

With a sarcastic scoff, I said, "Well, it's sort of cold, but it's warmer than it was. D'you want to go sit on the back porch or something? Relax?"

He shrugged. "Sounds like fun."

I opened the porch door and the crisp air filled my nose. My porch was small, but it was big enough for the two-chair table that sat in the center of it..

Sora got out and leaned against the wood railing, looking out into the forestry of my backyard. "It's pretty," he mumbled, "I never knew it looked like this out here."

"Mhm." There was a gentle kind of evening breeze. My mind was occupied though; I had plenty of things I needed to say to Sora.

"So," I began. "You don't seem that upset about… about what your mom said anymore." I stood next to him and propped myself against the railing.

He glanced up at me. "I guess I'm not. I mean, I am. But… I never really felt like her son, anyway. Y'know?" He sighed and shrugged. "It's hard to explain."

A single bird called out woefully from the trees. "I think I sort of get what you're saying," I mused. I kicked the toe of my shoe against a vertical pole of wood railing.

"How?" Sora inquired, tilting his head much like a puppy.

"Well…" I said, "You remember my, my dad… It was always a bit weird at home when he was around. It was like… he was there physically, but never mentally. When he left, it hurt. I mean, naturally one would be sad if his father just… got up and left. But it didn't last too long. After a while I was actually sort of _glad _he was gone."

Sora nodded slowly. "Yeah." He nudged my shoulder with his and smiled a mischievous little smile. "Trust me, I know how you feel."

"I really do appreciate you letting me live here," he said quietly, shutting his eyes at the gentle zephyr. "It's so much better than having to be with my family. Just wait till my mom tells everyone in my family that I'm gay." He squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Jeez, I don't even want to picture that."

Sighing, I said, "I take it your family is a bit homophobic?"

He gave me a look. "'A bit?' That's a major understatement. They hate gay people more than… I don't even know."

"That's why you never told anyone."

"Besides Axel, you're the only person that I've ever come out to. And thanks to my mom snooping through my property, the entire world is going to know soon enough."

There was a long silence after that. My eyes encompassed the sky, tea rose orange peaking from behind the deep green of the trees. That same bird gave another cry, piercing the silence.

"I accept you, Sor. Well, no, that's not right. 'Accepting' is the bare minimum. I support you and I think you deserve great things."

He glanced up at me in shock for a moment before he smiled. "I've never… That… That means a lot to me. Thanks."

"It's the truth," I said, smiling back at him. "If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you."

"Which is why… I wanted to talk to you about something," I mumbled, clearing my throat.

He nodded. "Me too, actually." My eyebrow raised. What could he need to say to me?

"You first," I said in curiosity.

"Alright. Well, Kairi came over today for a few hours while you were at work to hang out and… she told some stuff."

"S-stuff?"

"Yeah," he said, "I never knew that you two had that kind of fling."

I coughed nervously. "Mm. I'm surprised she remembered me." I felt a bit uncomfortable talking to someone about this.

"Was she the only one you had a one-night stand with?"

I twirled a tendril of my hair around a finger. "Uh, no. You know, after my mom passed… I had little affairs with a lot of females… Kairi wasn't the first or last."

"Do you still hook up with girls like that?" he asked, obviously not trying to be rude, just asking an innocent question.

"No." I shook my head. "Thank God I don't. I mean, sure I get lonely sometimes, but I'd rather be lonely than be the way I was back then."

He nodded. "I understand. It's just funny that you and Kairi knew each other. So, what did you want to say to me?"

"Uhm." I was nervous. I wanted to talk to him about something I knew no one had before.

"You and Axel…" His eyebrows crumpled together at my words. "You don't seem to have a, a very healthy relationship."

"I… I don't know what you mean."

"No one is supposed to abuse their lover like that. And no one should have to put up with being abused like you d-"

"He doesn't abuse me!" Sora was bristling. He seemed to get defensive when ever I mentioned Axel.

"Sora, can you just listen t-"

He shook his head. "No, Riku; you don't get it. He was just a bit drunk that night he came over. He's not like that at all!" I didn't believe him, and he knew that.

"You don't seem to like him too much." Sora's voice was timid again all of the sudden.

"I don't know him enough to not like him, I guess." That was a lie. I didn't like Axel. Not anything about him.

"You know me better than that, Riku. I'd tell you if something bad was going on."

_Maybe, _I thought, _Maybe my mind is getting away with me. Maybe I'm overestimating things._

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**Thank you guys for your reviews and input so far - happily sniffles- You mean so much. :)**


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